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Internal Political Efficacy Scale

The Internal Political Efficacy Scale is a 4-item measure of internal efficacy, first included in the 1988 National Election Study (USA) that refers to beliefs about one’s own competence to understand and participate effectively in politics.

Categories

Geographies Tested: United States of America

Populations Included: Female, Male

Age Range: Adolescents, Adults

Items:

  1. I consider myself to be well qualified -to participate in politics.
  2. I feel that I have a pretty good under- standing of the important political issues facing our country.
  3. I feel that I could do as good a job in public office as most other people.
  4. I think that I am better informed about politics and government than most people.

Response Options:
Agree strongly, agree somewhat, neither agree nor disagree, disagree somewhat, and disagree strongly

Scoring Procedures

Scores are added, yielding a potential range of 0 to 16.

Original Citation

Niemi, R. G., Craig, S. C., & Mattei, F. (1991). Measuring internal political efficacy in the 1988 National Election Study. The American Political Science Review, 1407-1413. https://doi.org/10.2307/1963953


Psychometric Score

Ease of Use Score

Scoring breakdown

Formative Research

Qualitative Research

Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework

Field Expert Input

Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing

Reliability

Internal

Test-retest

Interrater

Validity

Content

Face

Criterion (gold-standard)

Construct

KEY

Ease of Use

Readability

Scoring Clarity

Length

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